President Bola Tinubu yesterday approved the appointment of new Directors-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed was appointed as the new Director-General of the NIA. He replaced Ahmed Abubakar who tendered his resignation letter to the President two days ago.
Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi on the other hand was appointed by the President to head the DSS as Director-General. He replaced Yusuf Bichi who also reportedly tendered his resignation to President Tinubu.
The new NIA DG, Ambassador Mohammed has had an illustrious career in the foreign service since joining the NIA in 1995. He had served in various roles, culminating in his promotion to the rank of Director and his subsequent appointment as the head of the Nigerian mission to Libya.
The 1990 graduate of Bayero University, Kano, had served in North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, and at the State House, Abuja. Nigeria’s new spy chief is coming to head the NIA at a critical time when a major overhaul is needed in Nigeria’s intelligence management both domestically and externally.
The new DSS Director-General, Mr. Adeola Ajayi, rose through the ranks of the secret police to attain his current post of Assistant Director-General of the Service. He had, at various times, served as State Director in Bauchi, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Kogi.
While announcing the new appointments, presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale stated that President Tinubu expects that the new security chiefs will work assiduously to reposition the two intelligence agencies for better results and charged them to bring their experience to bear in tackling the security challenges bedeviling the country through enhanced collaboration with sister agencies and in “surgical alignment” with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).